By Janet Sellers
Before you grab anything that’s toxic, let’s take a look at some handy hints that are easy and don’t harm people or pets.
Chemicals to kill weeds and varmints go down into our groundwater and poison our water.
Every year I share the importance of the dandelions as the first food for both hummingbirds and pollinators. Root to flower, the dandelion supports our gardens in ways we may never have imagined. Dandelions send their roots down anywhere from 2-20 feet to bring up nutrients to the surface. The roots also loosen and aerate the soil and help control erosion. Dandelions enrich our soil and our gardens. Dandelions will not return when the soil is rich and balanced. They are edible roots to flowers. And they actually fertilize the grass. Dandelions are in the same family as lettuce, artichokes, chamomile, and daisies.
So how did dandelions get such a bad rap? Dandelions are indicators of poor soil. Contrary to popular belief, once the soil is restored dandelions stop growing in those areas. I have been able to find a plethora of information on the benefits of dandelions but curiously, the bulk of texts against growing them is from chemical companies that want to sell chemicals. Widespread movie and TV shows of “pretend perfect” but fake lawns added to the ideas of lawns and lawn care: perfect lawn, perfect family. But there’s no perfect family or lawn. That’s fake, too. Dandelions can be mowed after their blooming, which has helped our pollinators and hummingbirds as the first flower of food power in spring. Mowing them is an easy way to control spread if needed.
A kid and pet safe vermin deterrent
The fastest, safest, most effective pocket gopher and varmint deterrent (besides a house cat) I have found is castor oil. Add to a gallon (a 1-pound bag) of clean clay cat litter 6 ounces of Castor oil and shake in the bag thoroughly to coat all the clay particles. Then cast it over the lawn or garden and watch as the voles disappear over the next few days. They stay away. It gives the ground vegetation and odor and taste that disagree with the vermin. It goes safely into the soil and makes the plants taste bad to the varmints so they won’t eat them. Reapply after rain or snow.
Janet Sellers is an avid lazy gardener, letting Mother Nature lead the way in our mountain high desert climate. Contact her at JanetSellers@ocn.me.
Other gardening columns
- High Altitude Nature and Gardens – Rooting out crime: How our community’s flowers protect more than just plants (2/4/2026)
- High Altitude Nature and Gardens – Mini outdoor greenhouses, cinnamon to protect soil and seedlings (12/31/2025)
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- High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – Gardening with nature’s beautiful bouncers (7/3/2025)
- High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – Enjoying nature in summer, high altitude landscaping, and weed control (6/7/2025)
- High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – May: new trees from tree branches, plant partners, bee kind (5/3/2025)